1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of recognition of users by assigned source port blocks for use in connection with computer networks. The method of recognition of users by assigned source port blocks has particular utility in connection with identifying a specific network-attached device using date, time, WAN IP, and source port information associated with a user session.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The method of recognition of users by assigned source port blocks is desirable for identifying a specific network-attached device using date, time, WAN IP, and source port information associated with a user session. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) gives Internet service providers “safe harbor” from claims of copyright infringement if they cooperate with copyright owners' attempts to protect their intellectual property, in most cases by informing subscribers of violations and by terminating “repeat offenders.” But many providers that serve multifamily dwelling unit (MDU) residents through a bandwidth over subscription model use Network Address Translation (NAT) instead of public IP addresses to identify their subscribers. Hosts on the local area network (LAN) associated with the MDU are assigned a private Internet Protocol (IP) address by a router using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). Each LAN IP is mapped to a Wide Area Network (WAN) IP address on the router. Multiple LAN IPs are mapped to a single WAN IP to conserve WAN IP space. When traffic is sent from a host on the LAN, a source port from 1 to 65535 is randomly assigned to keep track of that user session.
If a destination host wishes to discover the identity of a local user who is believed to have committed copyright infringement, the destination host may provide all the information it has about the offending session, including the date, time, WAN IP address, and source port, to the local service provider. However, the session cannot be narrowed down to a specific device by the service provider given the basic information available to the destination host; it can only be narrowed down to the entire block of LAN IPs assigned to the WAN IP. Without some other means of identification, it is usually very difficult to identify specific abuser unless he or she has a public IP address. When the service provider gets a DMCA notification for copyright infringement taking place on its public IP addresses, its ability to find a specific abuser will usually end at the DHCP server. This exposes the service provider to potential liability for the violation.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved recognition of users by assigned source port blocks that can be used for identifying a specific network-attached device using date, time, WAN IP, and source port information associated with a user session. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the recognition of users by assigned source port blocks according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides a method primarily developed for the purpose of identifying a specific network-attached device using date, time, WAN IP, and source port information associated with a user session.